Alfie jumped three inches out of his chair as his office door crashed open. He reached instinctively for his gun as he looked up. What he saw didn't surprise him but he kept his hand on his weapon. Striding towards him was a visibly tense Tommy Shelby. Behind him stood a nervous Ollie, his eyes flitting between his boss and Tommy, half expecting a bloody showdown between them.

"Where is she?"

Alfie stood up, indicating the couch behind Tommy. "There she is, safe and sound, as promised."

Tommy span around and relief washed over him at the sight of his sleeping sister. He moved quickly to the couch and, reaching down, lifted Rose up in one swift movement to settle her on his hip. He rarely held her like this these days, but all he could think of was that she wasn't completely safe until he had her in his arms.

The sudden movement woke Rose with a start and she opened her eyes in fear. She knew immediately who was holding her, but her surroundings confused her and it took a few seconds for her to remember where she was and why.

"Rose, are you ok?" Tommy looked at her anxiously, wanting to make absolutely sure she wasn't hurt.

"Of course she's ok." Alfie was indignant. He'd moved around the desk and was standing near them. "I told you I'd take the very best care of her. She's got a nasty cough, mind. Those poorly lungs of hers don't get on well with the London air. You should get her back to the fresh air of Birmingham as soon as you can."

Tommy looked at Alfie, not quite sure how to play this. The mixing of business and family made him very ill at ease. Being on Alfie's territory with Rose put him at an immediate disadvantage. He needed Alfie to regard him as an equal in the business world and to hold a healthy fear of him. Yet, standing there with a child in his arms, Tommy was a family man first and a business man second. He wasn't comfortable thinking of the debt he owed Alfie for protecting Rose since her arrival and for not taking advantage of the clear opportunity he'd had to destroy Tommy. Alfie was in the strange position of holding the moral high ground and it made Tommy uncomfortable, feeling not fully in control. And he knew Alfie knew it.

Meanwhile, Rose had become more aware of her surroundings. She was mortified to find herself in her brother's arms like a small child. She immediately squirmed, pushing at Tommy's arms to make him put her down. She was highly embarrassed for Alfie to see her being treated like a toddler.

"Tommy! Put me down!"

Tommy ignored her and, still turned to Alfie, cleared his throat.

"Mr. Solomons, I am grateful to you for taking care of my sister and for letting me know she was here."

Every word pained Tommy. Rose continued to squirm in his arms, insisting he put her down. He tightened his hold on her hoping she'd take the hint and settle down. Rose, of course, had no intention of settling down. She was getting more and more annoyed with Tommy for humiliating her in front of her new-found gangster friend. Alfie was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of this feared head of the Peaky Blinders clearly meeting his match in this small, angry girl.

Tommy gamely continued addressing Alfie, "I can only apologise for this intrusion upon your time. Rest assured, Mr. Solomons, I will make it abundantly clear to Rose what a poor choice she made when she decided to run away to London and knock on your door."

This last statement was a thinly-veiled threat to Rose who, whilst very aware of what that meant for her, continued to struggle.

"Put me down, Tommy. I'm not a baby! Put me down!"

"Rose! Enough!" Tommy's voice was quiet but full of meaning. His hold on Rose was now barely allowing the blood to circulate to her legs. He was working hard to control his frustration with her.

Rose looked into Tommy's face and saw her own feelings reflected back at her – anger, frustration and a determination to win. But as she continued to look at him, Rose saw something else too: a silent pleading with her. Rose suddenly understood what Tommy was asking of her and why. She stopped struggling and fell still. Tommy needed this from her to save face in front of Alfie and whilst Rose had enjoyed her time with Alfie, nobody was more important to her than Tommy. By doing this for him, she was his ally. For once, she was now working with him and not against him. This was her first assignment as a Peaky Blinder and she found herself eager to do what was necessary for the family business.

Sensing this change of heart in her, Tommy relaxed a little. He was able to focus on how best to extricate them both from this unwelcome situation.

Alfie was intrigued by the silent conversation he'd just witnessed between brother and sister. Without understanding it, he recognised the deep bond that existed between the two of them. It fascinated him.

"Tommy, your sister has explained the whole unfortunate situation with Amos to me and has assured me that she is very sorry and won't start a fight with any of my family again. I, in return, have assured her of my forgiveness and have promised that I won't kill you or any of your kin because of this."

Rose beamed at Tommy, delighted for him to hear how she had saved his life. Tommy was keenly aware of the implication in Alfie's promise. He knew full well, as did Alfie, that Alfie would kill him at the drop of a hat for any other reason than Amos' broken bones. He didn't feel as delighted as Rose did. In fact, he felt even more nervous about the shift in his relationship with Mr. Solomons. He cleared his throat.

"I'm pleased to hear that, Mr. Solomons, for your sake as much as mine. Killing a Shelby would be a very bad idea indeed."

Alfie acknowledged the warning with a wide grin which didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that, Tommy. It would be a very brave man who took on the Shelbys. Or a very stupid one. As Amos found out when he took on this little firecracker, eh Rose? And I am not stupid. The question remains then, am I brave enough?"

Tommy looked into his grinning face and wanted to punch it. Or better yet, put a bullet between his eyes. Rose sensed the tension in him and shifted nervously. She understood enough to realise that, despite the polite conversation, these two men were enemies. She patted Tommy's shoulder and spoke quietly.

"Tommy?"

Tommy was pulled back to reality. He looked at Rose's worried face and knew he had to get her out of Alfie's territory. He lowered her to the ground, keeping hold of her hand.

"We'll be on our way then, Mr. Solomons. Rose is very sorry she inconvenienced you, aren't you, Rose?"

There was only one correct answer.

"Yes"

"No need to apologise, Petal, you did what you had to to protect your family. That is a very noble thing. It has been a pleasure getting to know you. And, don't forget what I told you, will you?"

Tommy looked at him in surprise. Why would he say such a thing to Rose? What exactly had they talked about in the time she'd been here? All the more reason to get her away from this place as soon as possible. He cleared his throat.

"Right then, Rose. Let's go" He started for the door but Rose resisted. She hadn't finished her conversation with Alfie.

"Thank you, Alfie. Thank you for listening to me and thank you for a nice lunch."

Tommy looked between them incredulously. Were they firm friends now or something? Was Rose going into business with him too? He was half expecting her to invite him up to Small Heath for a picnic by The Cut! He felt what little was left of his patience beginning to slip.

Alfie held out his hand to Rose which she shook solemnly.

"You're very welcome. Goodbye, Petal. I hope it won't be too long before we meet again."

Over my dead body, thought Tommy. He pulled Rose's hand firmly as he headed out of the door. Rose had no choice but to follow him. She called her farewell over her shoulder.

"Goodbye Alfie."

Alfie watched them leave. He was highly amused at Tommy's discomfort. In fact, much of his fond goodbye to Rose had been for Tommy's benefit. And yet, as he watched the small girl walk away next to her brother, he felt something akin to sadness that he wasn't likely to see her again. Her unplanned visit to his office had turned out to be a welcome rest from the cutthroat every day of the business he was in.

He shook his head as he turned back to his desk. Tommy's family made him extremely vulnerable and Alfie wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of that vulnerability if necessary. Yet Alfie felt a tiny sliver of envy rise in him. He'd never admit this to a living soul, but he thought that Tommy was a very lucky man indeed to have that little red headed girl in his life.